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Our obsession with sushi has not, well, abated.
Look on your street corner and you might just find a sushi joint. It may not be long before they outnumber drugstores.
So as sushi continues its mainstream march and people's tastes expand beyond the California roll, we wondered: What trends are on the horizon?
No surprise that the next big thing swimming our way is low-carb sushi.
Recently, I ate sushi with some friends at a California restaurant.
Perusing the menu, I was surprised at the options and was curious to try new items such as rolls wrapped in soy paper or mamenori rather than a traditional nori (seaweed) or rice wrapping. The mamenori offered a low-carb alternative but still contributed plenty of taste and texture. Pared with a creamy tuna roll, the soy paper was delightful and guilt-free.
Some Tampa Bay area restaurants also offer soy paper sushi, though it's a good idea to call ahead and ask.
Other interesting alternatives include thinly sliced sashimi. If you shudder at the thought of raw fish, an eel (or unagi) sashimi roll might please you. Typically, the eel is topped with a tangy sauce. Sashimi can be added to salads, too.
Andrew Moos, president of the Tampa Bay Sushi Society (www.sushisociety.com) an organization that meets monthly on both sides of the bay for dinner and networking, strives to raise awareness about more adventurous types of sushi.
"A few of the different sushi restaurants do offer the soy wrapping," Moos said. "Actually, a lot of people now are starting to get into doing rolls in sliced cucumber which is also a wonderful alternative to seaweed.
"As far as advanced sushi, we get all of the great stuff. . . . We've got some really creative sushi chefs here. I think that the Tampa Bay market can keep up in every way with California and New York."